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How to Play the Double Paradiddle

One of the most important rudiments to learn is the paradiddle, but what about the double paradiddle? As a drummer, the double paradiddle should be one of the top 5 drum rudiments you practice regularly! But what makes the double paradiddle so important? A lot of things actually. This rudiment is used in Jazz music, Latin music, as well as drum solos and drum fills too! So let me teach you how to play the double paradiddle drum rudiment.

The double paradiddle is very similar to the single paradiddle. However, it does not follow the same rule as the double stroke roll. The single paradiddle is:

 Left   Right   Left   Left   Right  Left  Right   Right

So for the double paradiddle, you will want to double the single strokes on there, not the double strokes.In fact, practice the single stroke four rudiment, you are using that and the double stroke roll to create the double paradiddle. Let me break that down for you:

Left   Right   Left   Right   Left   Left   Right   Left   Right   Left   Right   Right

Read that carefully, as it is a little confusing at first. Let me note it out for you here. The snare will be your right hand, and your tom will be your left hand. If you cannot read sheet music, click on this lessons on understanding drum notation. This way it is easier to see the rudiment:

Now if you count the notes of a double paradiddle, you will notice it contains 12 notes. Breaking that down, you get a complete bar of 8th note triplets. This has a totally different feel than the single paradiddle, which contains 8 notes. This being said, when you rae playing the double paradiddle in a normal bar of music, you will play it as a triplet pattern. This is why this rudiment is so popular in jazz music, and Latin music. Because those styles are based on a lot of triplet grooves, it is easy to throw in a double paradiddle for a triplet fill or beat. Here is a video example of the double paradiddle on a practice pad:

Practice playing this rudiment in some triplet fills and solos. You will get a sound that is very unique. The crowd will think you are extremely talented, when really you are just playing a basic rudiment. Try playing this around your drum set, not limiting it to your snare. Here is a unique beat you can play with the double paradiddle:

Practice this rudiment a lot, it will help your develop your stick control and independence. Read up on practice pad use to help you practice this rudiment. Also, practicing this with your bass drum will be super beneficial for your double bass drum work.

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